More to Nazca than the lines

This is Mike...
The four of us just arrived back from our tour of the countryside and have to say it is incredible over here. The native cultures of the area had a complete mastery of the environment and used all forms of the arts, big and small in their daily lives. The pre-Inca groups were fully functioning societies with water distribution systems, agriculture, arts, and celestial sciences. The complexities of these communities are apparent when one visits the sites around Nazca. The sophisticated aqueducts by themselves would make these people advanced than add the large drawings on the desert floor, some of them many kilometers long, take these people to the next level, in my opinion. The temples and their city of the dead, "Necropolis pre-Inca" are additional mysteries to throw into the mix. We all feel constantly and completely at awe here, in Peru. I have to say when the kids and my wife all enjoy something this much, it is money well spent. If you have ever considered doing a trip to Peru, I recommend just going for it. The transportation and tourist infrastructure is all ready for you to enjoy as this country is already a well beaten trail for visitors. Ultimately, there is much more to Nazca than the lines in the desert, seeing these things was a absolute pleasure for the senses.

Sierra was so happy to be able to fly over the Nazca lines with daddy.

The ground was covered with images of animals, geometric shapes, plants and a humanoid-looking creature they call the astronaut.

The hummingbird is 100 meters (300 feet) long

Some of these lines were kilometers long and very precise measurements.

The lines even went into the hills.

Our small little plane was bumpy and made some people sick on the short flight.

The astronaut.

The temple complex of Cahuachi

Construction that stood the test of time and the elements.

This is a massive compound ringed by other support structures that have yet to be uncovered.

A mummified child wrapped in cotton, you can clearly see skin, muscles and toe nails.

The mummies are left in the open as they have been exposed for many hundreds of years.

People were buried with their important worldly objects such as pottery and jewelry which signified who they were in their society.

The bleak and hostile environment where the necropolis, Chauchilla is situated.

A very important woman indeed.

Mummified skulls where found with holes drilled through their heads and ropes pushed through. These head pieces were status symbols for the victors which were used as trophies.

I bet he had a splitting head-ache and probably said, "Doc, I feel like I have a rope coming out of my forehead." Is there anything you have to help me?

Scientists claim these are ceramic wind instruments but they look suspiciously like model plane wings. Notice how the part closest in the picture is tapered as if it fits into a ceramic fuselage? 

Look how the top red piece is even tapered like a wing. Suspiciously similar in my opinion.

The Indigenous peoples in this area had advanced methods of moving vast amounts of water to drier areas. This is part of an aqueduct that still has water flowing in it today. Large portions of their aqueduct system were subterranean and thus shielding it from certain evaporation of the sun.

Sierra  playing with a Pavo Real (peacock)

A miniature representation of the impressive Nazca lines

Incredibly fine textiles were on display at the Museo Antonini

The craftsmanship still shines through this piece a thousand years later.

Some of the ceramic pieces were massive as this article behind Zoe suggests.

Another portion of the miniature exhibit that shows the lines of Nazca